Insulation products are widely relied upon in the commercial and residential construction industries to provide thermal, acoustical, and moisture control properties between two spaces. Some applications require an insulation having a facing material composed of a functional laminate that may impart useful characteristics such as low moisture vapor permeance, durability, resistance to surface-wear, dust resistance, flame resistance, and fire retardance. Constituent layers of the laminate are selected to impart, individually or in combination, these useful characteristics. The constituent layers are then joined by means known in the industry to form a suitable facing laminate.
To date, a laminate commonly used as an insulation facing material has been a multi-layer construction consisting of an exposed layer of high-intensity-white kraft paper, a fire-retardant adhesive, a fiberglass reinforcing layer, a barrier coating, and an aluminum-foil backing layer. This paper-surfaced laminate has been used for insulation products that are installed in metal and wood buildings, to ductwork, and piping. Where adjacent insulation products need to be joined, they are typically taped using a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape along their edges to provide a uniform surface. Because some insulation installations are performed in uncontrolled temperature environments, cold temperature can make taping insulation together difficult insofar as the pressure-sensitive adhesives of most tapes are temperature sensitive.
When used to insulate flat surfaces such as roofs, walls and square ductwork, the conventional insulation may be flat boards or insulation batts of mineral wool or foam with a vapor retarding facing material affixed to one side. The facing material may have an exposed surface of aluminum foil, plastic film or paper.
When used to insulate pipes, the conventional insulation product is typically a pre-formed cylinder of insulating material with the paper-surfaced laminate covering the exterior, its high-intensity-white kraft paper exposed. A longitudinal slit along the cylindrical insulation product's length facilitates installation around piping. The longitudinal slit can be closed and sealed with a factory-supplied pressure-sensitive adhesive tape that is applied to the underside of the extended flap of the outer facing material laid along to join the seam. Lengths of insulation product are fit together onsite by a contractor by abutting standard or field cut lengths and fastening them together with tape or mastic if desired. The white kraft based facing laminate applied to these cylindrical paper-surfaced insulation products have come to be known in the industry as “All Service Jacket.”
Despite the widespread acceptance and commercial success of the current All Service Jacket, a market exists for an alternative facing material to jacket insulation products with further improved characteristics such as enhanced cleanability, and superior resistances to surface wear, reduced dust accumulation, and improved UV-light stability. An improved insulation product also would have a surface that combines the above-mentioned properties with improved receptivity to pressure sensitive adhesives to facilitate the taping of seams and joints during its installation at a full range of jobsite temperature. The surface of the jacketing should also be compatible with, and form good bonds to water and solvent based mastics and paints used in the industry.